The Israeli military destroyed almost two dozen buildings in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank, as Israel turned to the territory since it withdrew some of its troops during the ongoing ceasefire across the border in Gaza.
Video captured by Reuters showed a series of explosions tearing through the city, sending towering plumes of smoke into the sky.
In a statement Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said it demolished 23 buildings in Jenin that were “used as terrorist infrastructure.”
Hamas called for an “escalation in the resistance” against Israel after the demolition in Jenin.
The number of casualties, if any, is unknown.
Israel launched an offensive in Jenin last month to “defeat terrorism,” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It is the Israeli army’s third major incursion into the city — a longtime stronghold of militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad — in less than two years.
On Sunday, a 16-year-old boy was among five people killed by Israeli airstrikes on Jenin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Violence by settlers and Israeli military operations has soared in the occupied territory since the war in the Gaza Strip began Oct. 7, 2023, when, Israeli officials say, 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage in Hamas’ multipronged attacks on Israel.
In the year leading up to the attacks, 253 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, according to a database kept by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
But since Oct. 7, 2023, the database shows the death toll has risen sharply, with 845 Palestinians killed.
And Israel’s most recent offensive in January was launched just hours after President Donald Trump rescinded American sanctions on far-right settler groups and people accused of involvement in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
In Gaza, the IDF said an Israeli aircraft fired on a vehicle it said was traveling outside the “agreed inspection route,” which it claimed violated the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“The IDF is prepared for any scenario and will continue to take any necessary actions to thwart immediate threats to its soldiers,” the statement read.
Both attacks coincided with Netanyahu’s departure Sunday for the United States, where he is set to meet with Trump.
Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he was inaugurated last month, left Israel as negotiations for the second phase of talks were expected to begin Monday.
Meanwhile, the deputy head of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, will lead a delegation to visit the Russian capital, Moscow, on Monday, the RIA state news agency reported Sunday.
Russia has long held ties to governments and groups in the Middle East, including Israel, Iran, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority.
